Google Dancin'

Designing, building and maintaining a website is a lot of work. And there are expenses involved.

At the very least, you must pay registration fees for you domain name. Free hosting is available, but not viable for a serious commercial website.

If you can’t do the work yourself, due to lack of ability or lack of time, there is the added expense of paying someone else to do the work for you.

Be it time or money, the more your site costs you, the more important it is the site provides a Return On Investment (ROI).

No matter what ROI means to you it should translate into increased profits, sooner or later, directly or indirectly.

To do that, you must determine two things:

1. What you want from your website and to that end
2. What you need your visitors to do.

You must “get clear” on what you expect from your site in order to present a clear call to action that will benefit both you and your visitor.

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For the most part, we have been discussing ways to get and improve your website’s visibility on the internet. But getting qualified visitors is only a part of the equation.

Numerous studies have been done over the years, and they’ve all come to the same conclusion: Visitors are impatient. You have only a few seconds to persuade them they’re at the right website. Otherwise, they go back to the search results and try another link.

These studies also show that most visitors will scan the page to determine if they want to stay or look elsewhere.

If each page of your site is highly focused on one concept, the information the visitor is looking for is probably there. But will he find it?

Tweak Your Content For Easy Scanning.

Lots of long paragraphs may work well for an article in a traditional magazine, but they don’t work on a computer monitor.

• Break long paragraphs into smaller ones.
• Convert a paragraph into a bulleted list, if possible.
• Create a bold subheading from a short first sentence.
• Highlight an important point with a border and colored background.

Make it easy to determine the page’s relevancy with a quick scan of the page.

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In an earlier article about PageRank, I stated that the Google Toolbar was only available for Internet Explorer for Windows. That has recently changed and a beta version of the Toolbar is now available for the upstart browser Firefox. However, it won’t work on computers that are still running Windows 98. In fact, it won’t run on Windows XP either, if you haven’t updated to the latest service pack.

System requirements:
Windows XP/2000 SP3+, Mac OS X 10.2+, or Red Hat Linux 8.0+ as your operating system. Firefox 1.0 or later

If you’re a Firefox fan like me, you can install the Toolbar to your computer directly from Google. Just surf to Google’s Options page and click on Toolbar under Google Tools at the bottom of the page. Google will detect your browser and send you directly to the correct download page.

Click on the Download Google Toolbar button, read and accept the terms and conditions, and the Toolbar will be installed automatically. (Provided, of course, your operating system is one of those listed above.)

The new Google Toolbar for Firefox offers all the functionality of the original, including the PageRank Display. I’d like to remind my readers not to get caught up in PageRank Obsession. Use the display simply as one of several tools to help determine if a website is safe to link to.

By the way, if your operating system isn’t supported by the official Google Toolbar, you can still install the Googlebar, an open source toolbar for Firefox that emulates the search functionality of the Toolbar. The Googlebar does not include PageRank Display.

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You can also add value to your site using content from other sources.

Many good articles are available, both free and for a fee, that can be published on your site. Of course, you will need to credit the author, and in most cases provide a link back to the author’s web site. Be sure and only use articles that are appropriate to your niche.

You can also add content by using RSS feeds. Set up correctly, you can display current news on your site that’s relevant to the focus of your site.

Never use someone else’s work without their permission.

That should go without saying, yet it is staggering how many sites “borrow” content from other sites. Don’t be one of them. At best, it will have a negative effect on your credibility. At worst, it could end you up in legal hot water.

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It takes a commitment of time and resources to create content regularly. And it helps to have a few old-fashioned tools: a small, portable notebook and a pen or pencil. A personal recorder could come in handy, too.

In the notebook, start a list of ideas for new pages within your niche: Books or products to review, Questions that haven’t been answered, Professional opinions, etc. Keep the notebook handy so you can add to the list, or write down your thoughts when inspiration strikes.

I recommend starting with a book or product review. It doesn’t have to be long to be useful, and it’s relatively easy to write. Just keep it objective, and don’t try to sell yourself or your service/product in the review.

Write like you talk. Let your personality shine through and your visitors will come to feel like they know you, which will build trust and credibility.

If you have trouble writing, try talking into a recorder as if you were talking to a good friend. Transcribe your comments, then use those comments as your starting point. Just polish and publish.

Like anything else the more you write content, the easier it becomes.

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Content. Content. And Content!

Okay. That’s not quite right. It’s actually “Good Content” x 3, but that doesn’t make for a catchy title.

If you want your site to be successful, you must have good content and lots of it. Ideally, you will add one page of unique content every day. That means writing your own articles, book reviews, blog entries, etc. Easier said than done, I know.

Especially if yours is a one-man operation.

It ain’t easy running an offline business, and finding the time to create new content every day. After all, you need to eat and sleep, too.

However, it’s not possible to over stress the importance of unique and fresh content. It’s what sets you apart from your competition. It’s what keeps visitors on your site, and what keeps them coming back. And it helps the search engines to send you those visitors.

It may be more realistic for you to add new unique content weekly, bi-weekly, or monthly. Once you have determined the best frequency for your schedule, mark it on your calendar. Then make a commitment to meet your own deadlines.

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A Summer cold can really interfere with ones schedule. Somehow it’s easier, emotionally, to be ill when the weather is lousy and the sun sets before the evening rush hour.

So the weather here in the Willamette Valley is finally turning warm and sunny, and I have no desire to go out and enjoy it. My virus enforced hiatus behind me, it’s time to get back to work.

My husband spent last night flipping back and forth between three stations airing 4th of July celebrations. He was most impressed with the fireworks display put on by Macy’s in New York City.

And it was impressive! Fireworks were shot off from three separate ships in the harbor. They started off with a display that would rival many smaller celebrations’ big finale. In fact, the entire show was phenomenal. I would have loved to have been there. I envy those who were.

The folks who produced that show really know how to please their audience. There wasn’t time to get bored, or think about leaving. I don’t imagine anyone left early. Or disappointed.

Don’t you wish you could say the same for your site’s visitors?

While no one can please “all the people all of the time”, you’ll see more visitors sticking around if you keep your focus tight. The sharper the focus, the higher the number of visitors who’ll find exactly what they’re looking for.

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